Exposed Memories
by Leprechaun's Fairy
Summary: After Peeta is Hijacked Plutarch comes up with a way to get him back to normal. They just need to remind Peeta of things the Capitol didn't know about and couldn't use against him. Katniss has the perfect memory but does she have the courage to share it?
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: This little piece has been floating around in my head for months and I've finally gotten around to posting. Set more in the movie-verse than the book-verse primarily so I could use Effie as a character. Expect one to three more chapters. I hope you enjoy and, as always, I do not own the Hunger Games franchise.**

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"…any memories you can think of that the Capitol wouldn't have seen or heard about. Nothing they could have manipulated for him," Plutarch explained.

"Does anyone really think this could help?" Haymitch drawled. "The boy didn't just hit his head and lose his memories. He has them, they're just fu˗"

"That's enough Mr. Abernathy," President Coin interrupted. "But he did start with a valid question Plutarch. Is there any chance this will help restore Peeta Mellark? Or is this yet another waste of our time and energy?"

The complete lack of any emotion but disdain in the president's voice broke Katniss from her stupor. "Of course Peeta is worth it. He's a victim, not a traitor. And he deserves our help."

"The girl's got a point," Plutarch agreed. "Having the Mockingjay working with us has increased our support significantly. If we get Peeta back to his old self, have him tell the people what Snow did to him, and then stand with her holding hands like they did during their tribute parades? We'll have Capitol citizens painting Mockingjay symbols on whatever they can get their faces."

"Fine," Coin said as she shuffled her papers around and stacked them into a neater pile. "You have forty-eight hours and then his care will be left up to the District Thirteen Healers."

And then she left, her advisers trailing behind her.

Haymitch sighed and Katniss looked over at him. "Alright sweetheart. Let's gather the team."

Twenty minutes later Katniss found herself in a room with her mother and sister, Gale, Haymitch, Effie, Beetee, Finnick, and Johanna. And Peeta himself was just on the other side of a two way mirror, his wrists handcuffed to the table he was seated at.

"Let's brainstorm ideas. Memories we can jolt Peeta with."

Haymitch was standing at the front of the room, ready to play with the technology he'd used to brainstorm ideas for the Mockingjay propos.

"I sat with the Mellark boys a few times at lunch to help Peeta's brother Ryson with schoolwork," Prim offered. "I never talked to Peeta much but we would always say hello."

"That's not anything life changing but it's a start," Haymitch said as he scribbled 'school lunches' on the board. "Anyone else?"

"Why are any of us Victors here?" Johanna spoke up. "We only know Peeta through the games so all of our interactions were televised. And for that matter Katniss doesn't need to be here either."

"I whispered something to him once and I doubt any of the microphones picked up on it," Finnick offered.

"What…what did you say to him?" Katniss asked, wanting the conversation to steer away from her usefulness.

"I just told him that you didn't want any of my sugar cubes and told him that he had horrible luck. You know, since he'd finally got the girl and then he had to go into the games again."

Haymitch cleared his throat. "Okay, let's not remind the boy of things that might make him angry or suicidal."

Katniss's mother finally made a suggestion. "I treated all the Mellark boys for coughs, colds and burns as they were growing up."

Haymitch didn't even bother to write that down, he just immediately turned to Boggs who had been told to stay with the group and keep an eye on the patient. "Go ahead and take her in to see him. So far she's our best chance."

Mrs. Everdeen shot her daughter a hopeful look and left the room only to appear on the other side of the glass a minute later. Confusion and anger warred on Peeta's face, still too thin and bruised, but he didn't yell or scream.

He flinched at the first mention of his brothers but otherwise didn't react to what Mrs. Everdeen was telling him.

Haymitch sighed and turned down the volume of the microphones in Peeta's room until they could barely hear Mrs. Everdeen's voice. "We need more. Something bigger and better. I know this is a long shot but is there anything you could tell him Katniss? Anything that didn't happen during the games or interviews or training sessions?"

"Is there any place that wasn't filmed during the Victory Tour?" Gale asked. "Or the Tribute Center?"

Effie pursed her lips and shook her head. "I didn't find out until later but there was no where safe on the train! Even the bathrooms were monitored! So you best believe I made sure there was none of that at the Tribute Center the second time around!"

Katniss turned her head so fast that pain flared up her neck but she barely noticed. "The bathrooms and bedrooms there weren't monitored? You're sure of it?"

Effie and Haymitch shared a look and Haymitch nodded. "As far as we know. Why?"

Katniss didn't answer the question, she just stared at Effie. "Were…were any of Cinna's designs saved?"

Effie smiled at the mention. "I brought as much as I could with me. They only let me keep as much as I can store in the cell they call a bedroom but I have quite a bit."

"The Mockingjay dress?"

Everyone fell silent. "You mean the wedding dress Snow chose for you? I really don't think that's the best idea sweetheart," Haymitch pointed out.

Katniss shook her head, her gaze never leaving Effie's face. "Was it put back in its original box?"

"Cinna did it. Right before he went to see you off," Effie whispered. "And I have the box in my room."

Katniss's stomach roiled. "Bring it here. There's something I need to check."

As soon as Effie was out the door Haymitch sighed and took his seat. "Are you trying to drive Peeta even more insane or are you trying to get yourself killed? Both might happen if you show up in his room wearing the wedding dress that sparked a revolution!"

"This isn't about the dress Haymitch," Katniss said. And then she refused to say anything else until Effie walked in the door carrying a box she could barely hold.

"What's in there, woman? That thing is big enough to fit a small child or a litter of puppies!" Haymitch crowed.

Effie slid it onto the table in front of Katniss and then straightened her head wrap which had gone slightly askew. "You saw the dress in person so you knew how much space it would take up. You should have gone upstairs with me and carried it down, you big oaf."

Katniss didn't pay any attention to the banter of her former mentor and escort. Instead she gently slid the lid off the box and smiled when she saw the edge of the white silk garment bag peeking out from underneath the feathery black dress.

Then the door opened, her mom escorted back into the room by Boggs and Katniss caught his eye. "Is there somewhere I can change?"

"She's not listening to me. Why isn't she listening to me?" Haymitch muttured.

"I don't know but now I'm really curious," Johanna said, her eyes narrowing when Katniss left, not with the dress, but with a small garment bag in her hand and Prim right beside her.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note/Disclaimer: Eeek! Thanks for the support so far! Here's the next installment and, as always, I unfortunately do not own the characters.**

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Katniss stopped at the door to Peeta's room and gave her sister a shaky smile. "Maybe you should go back to our rooms. You don't need to hear or see —"

"Katniss," Prim interrupted. "I've seen you almost die, more than once. And between the games and Healer training I've also seen….you know, other things. So I'm not leaving. And I'll try and make sure Gale doesn't try to beat down the door when he figures it out."

"When did you grow up so fast?" Katniss murmured, reaching a hand out to toy with a wispy curl that had escaped Prim's braid.

Prim smiled. "Probably when you did. Now go in there and get Peeta back," she instructed before returning to the rest of the group.

Once Prim was through the other door Boggs turned to Katniss. He didn't even comment on the fact that her jumpsuit was on backwards, the buttons now down the back instead of the front but he did check her emotional state. "Are you sure you're ready for this?"

Katniss nodded, not trusting herself to speak.

Boggs sighed. "I hope this works. We'll be watching you and won't be long if you need help." And with that he unlocked the door and let her inside.

Peeta tensed up the second he realized it was her. His hands tightened into fists, his eyes turned darker, his breathing increased and Katniss's heart broke.

She wanted to leave but she wanted her Peeta back even more so she took a few steps closer to the table. "I take it someone told you what we're trying to do today," she finally said even though she knew he'd been told long before her mother went in to speak with him.

"They did. And they also told me you wouldn't try to kill me. I'm still waiting to see if that's true."

His snarky tone, so not like Peeta, was enough to spark her flames. "You'd deserve an assassination attempt after what happened last time I was alone in a room with you."

They glared at one another until some of the air left Peeta and he slumped against the chair. "So are you also here to tell me stories of my family and the district you destroyed?"

Katniss pulled out the chair across from him and slid into it. "Do you have any memories of me that aren't horrible?"

"Sometimes…sometimes I think I do," Peeta said, looking anywhere but at her. "But then everything gets hazy and I can't figure out what's real and what's not."

They sat in silence for a few seconds and then Katniss inched her hand towards one of Peeta's bound ones. "Can I try and remind you?" she asked as she gently brushed her thumb against the side of his hand.

He froze and then his whole body shook, curses flying from his lips. Most were aimed at her and tears welled in her eyes. She was about to rush out of the room but then he settled down and his eyes cleared. "Yes, please Katniss. Try to stop this," he pleaded.

She leaned forward but didn't touch him again. "This last games, after my wedding dress turned into a mockingjay and you lied about me being pregnant to try and get the games cancelled —"

"You told me to do that," Peeta interrupted. "You were always manipulating me."

"During our first games, yes." Katniss could imagine the groans issuing from the next room over. She was supposed to be helping Peeta, not admitting that some of the things the Capitol had told him were true. Only wasn't the truth what was best for Peeta?

Apparently so because he actually smiled at her. It was a tense "I knew it" smile but it was a smile none the less. "So you admit that you're a manipulative liar."

Katniss didn't even flinch. "I did what I had to do to get us both out alive. But during the Victory Tour things changed."

"Yeah, you manipulated me into agreeing to a sham marriage."

"Will you stop interrupting me and let me finish?" Katniss didn't even wait for an answer before she plowed on. "When we were on tour I realized how much I'd missed you. And then the Quarter Quell was announced and damn it Peeta, I asked Haymitch to volunteer if your name was picked first! I would have done anything to get you out alive and not just because I thought you deserved it or because I felt bad that Haymitch got sponsors for me and not you during the first time around."

Peeta leaned forward as far as his restraints allowed. Their noses were practically touching. "If those weren't the reasons then what was?"

Katniss shook her head. "That's something I need to say to my Peeta. And you are not my Peeta."

"So what are you even doing here? And why is your jumpsuit on backwards?" he sneered. "I don't think anything like that has happened before so it can't possibly jog my memories."

"It's what's under the jumpsuit that matters!" Katniss blurted, her face flaming.

Clearly that was not the response Peeta had been expecting and he just gaped at her.

Katniss looked the other way, afraid to see what emotions were displayed on his face. Would it be anger or amusement or perhaps a flicker of remembrance? But then she realized she was looking at Peeta's side of the two way mirror. She couldn't see anyone of course but she'd definitely have to ignore the fact that her family and friends were just on the other side of the glass and they could see and hear everything.

"Uh, Katniss?" Peeta finally asked, breaking her away from her worries and back into the present. "Were you going to take that thought farther or were you just hoping a casual mention of your…um, you know, would be enough to trigger some memories?"

Katniss smiled to herself. Even a Hijacked Peeta was uncomfortable talking openly about something as personal as undergarments. "Do you want to kill me right now?" she finally asked.

Peeta's eyes went wide. They sat in an uncomfortable silence for just over a minute before he finally responded. "I don't think so. Right now I'm more confused than anything else."

"What do you remember happening after the interviews the night before the Quarter Quell started?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: Thank you so much for the feedback so far! And don't worry, this is not the end! The full flashback will be next chapter.**

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Peeta bit his lip and Katniss knew he really had to think about his answer. "There was a camera in the hall of our floor in the Tribute Center. They showed me the footage of you pulling me into your room and told me that it was you manipulating me again. That you wanted to distract me and keep me awake all night so that I'd be easier to kill in the arena."

Katniss's heart pounded. "There were cameras in the hall but there weren't any in my room or bathroom? You didn't see any footage from those places?"

Peeta shook his head. "No. The rest of that night is a blur. I remember being exhausted the next morning so I can only assume you did keep me up all night."

They both blushed when the double entendre registered but Peeta didn't take back how he'd phrased it.

"I did pull you into my room but not for any of the reasons the Capitol may have suggested," Katniss told him. "I was afraid if you showered in your room that they'd lock us apart. I didn't want to be alone. And more than that, I didn't want to be without you. That could have been our last night together."

Peeta fidgeted in his chair and Katniss had to wonder if it was the handcuffs, the Hijacking, or the strangeness of her being so emotional that was making him uncomfortable.

She pushed away from the desk and talked as she walked over to the door, taking her chair with her. "Once we got to my room you, being the gentleman that you were, told me I could shower first," she said as she jammed the chair under the door handle so it would be harder to interrupt her conversation.

Peeta was gaping at her again when she turned to face him. He was trembling when she pulled out a small key and used it to uncuff his hands. "Before I went in to shower I asked you to unzip my dress."

In what Katniss knew was her stupidest move yet she turned her back to Peeta. Peeta, the man who had tried to strangle her just two weeks earlier. She could only imagine the chaos going down on the other side of the mirror.

"I…why…I could kill you! Why are you doing this?!"

Katniss looked over her shoulder. The muscles in Peeta's neck and shoulders were tensed and his hands clutched the arms of the chair. "I have to try and save you and returning your memories might do that."

"But˗"

"Peeta, you are an artist. That means you are very visual. Maybe if you see…" she trailed off when he stood up.

Katniss looked straight ahead, not wanting to see the conflicted expressions on Peeta's face. Plus, she hadn't been confident enough to look at him on the night he'd unzipped her wedding dress and saw what was underneath.

His hands were unsteady when he reached for the buttons and she had a split second of panic at the thought that they might end up around her throat. Then his hands brushed the top button and he gently pulled it through the buttonhole.

But after three buttons he drew back. "That would be enough for you to slip this off if it were really the dress. Since this isn't sparking any memories you should probably re-cuff me before I go crazy."

"Then undo however many buttons it takes for you to figure out why I'm having you do this," Katniss spat.

Peeta did as he was told but he wasn't very gentle about it. Katniss was half-expecting fabric to tear or buttons to pop off when he suddenly stopped again.

She looked back over her shoulder and saw that his face was white as a sheet and his eyes were wide. "This can't be right," he murmured. "I would have remembered…"

"What are you remembering? I'll tell you if it really happened," Katniss whispered.

Peeta reached out and ran his fingertips along the exposed skin of her back. And then he very nearly repeated exactly what he'd said the night of the interviews. "Sunset orange. Your…undergarments are sunset orange."

Taking her cue from Peeta, Katniss echoed her past self. "Cinna knew it was your favorite color. He thought it would only be appropriate if my bridal lingerie would be something you'd appreciate. And since I had to wear my wedding dress for the interviews…"

"So the garments are only orange because Cinna designed it that way. Not because you had a say in the matter."

Katniss shook her head. "Actually no. When they got me ready for the interview Cinna had two sets for me. Traditional white and this. I chose this."

Peeta tensed and she second guessed herself. Was he recreating the moment like she'd been trying to do or was it just a coincidence? But then he undid the rest of her buttons and stepped away. "Well you better get in the shower or I won't get a chance to take mine."

Katniss took a deep breath and spun around so she could look him right in the eye. "They can probably lock the bathroom door and separate us that way. So you should probably just join me."

The smile, a look of wonderment and surprise, crossed his face. "I remember everything!" he murmured.

They stumbled towards one another, her arms around him and his around her and he whispered it all in her ear so nobody else would hear. And she nodded and cried into his shoulder because he remembered it all exactly like it had happened.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: I am so, so sorry about the delay! First I had a horrible cold and then there was the holiday weekend where I wasn't anywhere near my computer. But here it is, the last chapter for the story! And FYI, italics denote memories. I hope you enjoy!**

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Gale had rushed to his feet when Katniss dragged the chair to the door. No one else moved.

Then she'd pulled out the keys to Peeta's handcuffs. That got a response from everyone in the room.

Mrs. Everdeen and Effie gasped.

Haymitch muttered something about needing "just one more damned drink."

Boggs had to restrain Gale when he'd made a break for the door.

Finnick and Johanna shared a smirk.

"It's going to be fine," Prim spoke over them all. She watched as Peeta unzipped her sister's dress and then they were wrapped up in each other, Peeta whispering so low that the sensors couldn't pick up a word. "We're all going to be fine."

Katniss smiled, tears falling from her eyes as Peeta whispered in ear and they relived their last night before the 75th Hunger Games.

 _Peeta was so shocked at her request to join her in the shower that all he could do was gape. She had to reach out and pull him to the bathroom. Neither of them spoke as they undressed and slipped into the shower stall._

 _Katniss smiled as the hot water rained down on their bodies. When she'd invited him to join her she'd been so nervous but clearly he was too. He hadn't even looked at her and yet the back of his neck and ears were flushed red._

 _But she'd already made up her mind about how she wanted to spend what might be their last night together and even though she couldn't say the words she could damn well show him._

 _So, Peeta's back turned towards her, she soaped up a washcloth and gently ran it across his shoulder blades. He jumped at the contact._

" _Katniss, what are you doing?" Peeta asked, his voice strangled._

" _Helping you wash up. Now hush." She brought the cloth down his arms, over his buttocks and down both legs, not treating the prosthetic any different since she knew it was made to handle all elements._

" _Now I need to do the front," she whispered._

" _You really, really don't ha_ _"_

" _But I want to." And Katniss turned him to face her. He looked above her head instead of at her body but, unlike during their first games when she'd tried her hardest not to look, she let her eyes wander over every inch of him._

 _Then she started soaping up his shoulders, lingering over his chest and abs then avoiding the one place she suddenly realized she was very curious about. He sighed when she dropped the cloth without touching him there and she knew he was disappointed but hadn't expected her to touch him there._

" _Are you going to return the favor?" she whispered._

 _Peeta finally looked her right in the eye in surprise and then his gaze fell lower and lower as though he couldn't help himself once he started. "What…what is it you want me to do?" he stammered, his eyes glued to her bare breasts._

 _Katniss didn't say a word, she just soaped up another washcloth and put it in Peeta's hand. Then she guided that hand to her shoulder, barely an inch away from where he couldn't stop staring. When she dropped her hand he continued from there, washing her just as she had him. There was tenderness but he didn't linger over her intimate areas._

 _They helped each other wash their hair and it might not have led to anything more. Then Peeta slipped right when they went to step out of the shower stall._

 _Katniss automatically reached out to help steady him and next thing she knew her back was pressed against the wall of the shower and Peeta was somehow pressed against her front._

 _They both froze at the contact and Peeta looked at her with wide eyes. "I'm sorry," he whispered and stepped away. He didn't say anything else as he carefully stepped out of the stall, pulled the towel off the rack, and wrapped it around his waist._

 _Katniss couldn't help but blush and smile as she reached for her own towel. She knew why Peeta had apologized and it hadn't been because he'd tripped and taken her with him. It had been the fact that he'd very much enjoyed the shower, so much so that she'd felt it against her belly when they'd hit the wall._

 _She quickly dried off and followed him into her room, her mind racing. Suddenly she wasn't so much nervous as she was electrified._

" _Peeta?" she murmured, interrupting him just as he was about to pull on a pair of sleep pants he'd taken out of her dresser. There'd been a few of her outfits in Peeta's room and vice versa since day one._

 _Once Peeta turned to look at her Katniss dropped her towel and stalked towards him. She slid her arms around his neck and went to pull him into a kiss, huffing in frustration when he turned his head. "Don't you want me?"_

" _Not like this. Not if it's just because you know we won't both make it out of this alive," Peeta said. His voice was stern even as his hands gently traced patterns on the bare skin of her back._

 _Katniss moved a hand up to trace his jaw line, then applied enough pressure to guide his eyes to meet hers. This was the part that had been making her anxious ever since she'd first thought of it. The part where she'd have to use her words._

" _Peeta, I don't have much experience with love except for how much it hurts. Watching my mom break down after my dad…knowing I'd rather die a million times over than see my sister in the arena. But Prim and you…you've also shown me that love can make you strong and I don't want to be afraid of it."_

" _Katniss, what are you saying?"_

" _I can't tell you that I love you," Katniss admitted. "But if we had time I know I could and I would but we don't. I just know that tonight I want to be with you."_

 _Peeta searched her eyes and must have found whatever he'd been looking for because he dropped his head and captured her lips in a kiss._

 _That one kiss led to many kisses and caresses and afterwards Katniss stayed curled up in his arms awash in regret. Not at what they'd just done, she'd never regret that, but regret that she hadn't realized how important Peeta was until it was too late._

Peeta pulled away just enough to look at her face, searching just as he had that night. "How can you trust me to hold you like this when I forgot…and then I tried to choke you to death?"

Katniss gulped, staring into the blue eyes she remembered and not the cloudy haunted ones he'd been returned to her with. And she finally spoke the words she never thought she'd get to say.

And yes they were still in the middle of a war. They were still both broken (she was not naïve enough to think either one of them would ever be completely healed, not after what they'd been through) but she had hope.

"I love you. Always."


End file.
